Chapter 58 - Strangers
GN
I was about to get out of bed when Cedric called out. "No, get back down."
"Ced, I need to help."
"The hell you do." He huffed and came over, sitting down next to me. "The moment you step out of this room before mid-day, you'll be right send back to bed."
"Honestly, I'm fine." I tossed the duvet off me. Cedric just leaned over and covered me again.
"Winnie." He said softly, his eyes pleading. "You almost died just a few days ago. I-" He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I can't lose you."
I felt a pang of guilt and reached out to cup his cheek. "You won't." I whispered. "If you're sure they don't need me, I'll stay in bed." Cedric opened his eyes and gave me a little smile. "But I will need breakfast."
"On it." He leaned forward to capture my lips before he darted out of the room.
GN
It was the day of Bill and Fleur's wedding, you could hear the others walking and talking around the house trying to get everything ready. Fleur and Remus told me what they had to do to save me life. And after they had left, I looked at the scar on my stomach. A frown appeared when it didn't go away like I wanted. She asked Fleur about it the next day, she explained it that because it was dark magic, the scar will most likely never disappear, not even with her Metamorphmagus. Cedric rarely left my side, and I was restricted to bedrest for the last few days. Only being able to go to the bathroom (with help), the bedroom, the living room and the kitchen. Bash and Charlie managed to get back the day after when they heard what happened. The both of them were like to guard dogs positioned at my bed most of the day. I was happy that Molly had ushered them to help with the preparations. The only two who I haven't spoken to since the attack was Bill and George...
I conjured the small mirror from the cupboard and started to chance my hair and gave a little colour to my cheeks. Because ever since the internal bleeding, I looked peckish, not completely replenished. I just changed my hair in a ash-blonde bob with soft waves when a soft knock came on the door.
"Come in." I called out and sent the mirror back to its place. The door creaked open and a familiar redhead poked his head in. "Hey, stranger."
"Hey." George pushed the door further open but lingered in the doorway.
"Are you just going to stand there or come in?" I chuckled and I pushed myself a little straighter on the bed, with just a tiny, little wince. George shot me a smile that didn't reach his eyes, but he came in anyways, his worried look on me as he closed the door behind him. He walked over slow and stopped next to my bed, his hands on his back as he rocked on his heels. "How- how are you?"
George let out a dray chuckle. "I'm fine, I should be the one asking you that."
I shook my head slightly. "No, I've had enough people hovering over me already."
"I got mum." He stated, a real but small smile appeared. "She's ten times worse then everyone here."
"Have you met Bash?" I laughed and George chimed in. Then it hurt, with a wince and a curse, I looked down, my brows knit together. George was next to me in a second, his arm around my shoulders.
"Guinevere..."
"I'm fine." I mumbled, my eyes closed. "Just a little sting." George kept rubbing my back softly until I looked back up. "Thanks."
"Anytime." He murmured, not stopping his movements. "Does it still hurt a lot?"
"Does it with you?" I couldn't help but counter.
"Not really anything there that can hurt anymore." He said pointing at the side of his head with a grim smile. I lifted my hand to his head but dropped it.
"Can - can I see it?"
"Uhm-" George scooted away a little, looking down at the knitted plaid that his mother had made. I opened my mouth to say he didn't have to when he reached for the bandages on his head. It was silent as he unwrapped it. When the bandages were completely gone, I had to held back a gasp from escaping. I leaned forward slowly, and then reached out my hand to the side of his head. George's eyes fluttered shut as my fingers touched the place his ear once was.
"Is there a way?" I asked.
"No." He spoke only one word, but still I could here a stutter.
"Well." I said and retreated my head, George looked at me, something in his eyes, I couldn't quite place. "You're still the better looking twin." I winked.
"Oh, I got to tell Freddie that." George laughed.
"George." I said once his laughter died down. "Can I ask... I know we've been through a lot, but why haven't you come to see me? Are you avoiding me?"
George looked down and played with the knitted plaid between his fingers. A long silence stretched on in the room, you could hear Molly shouting instructions outside. When George finally spoke, he didn't look up.
"I - I couldn't face you. After you collapsed, I couldn't help you, I felt so powerless. And when Bill and Fleur started to -" He couldn't say it. Magically cut you, were the unspoken words.
"You were there?" My voice shook as my eyes turned large.
"You were screaming." He closed his eyes. "I've never heard someone scream like that. You were screaming and trashing around from the pain. Fred and I – we needed to hold you still. We saw – we saw how they removed your appendix. There was blood, a lot of blood. For a moment I thought you died." His voice was unmistakably shaking and I leaped forward, ignoring the pain, and wrapped him up in my arms. His head rested in the crook of my neck and I felt him shake, before my shirt started to get way from tears.
"I'm so sorry you had to see that. I'm so sorry." I whispered and rubbed his back. "I'm not going to say I'm okay, because I'm not. And neither are you. But we're pushing forward, we will heal and learn to live with it. Scars don't change us."
I saw the door open over George's shoulders and Cedric stepped in holding a platter with food and apple juice. He smiled softly at me, his eyes sad as they roamed over George and placed the platter softly on the cupboard before heading back out. We sat there, with George in my arms, for another ten minutes before he pulled back, wiping the tears away before he face me.
"I'm sorry." He said, his neck red.
"It's okay. It's been a few stressful days for all of us, to say the least." I offered him a little smile, I took a hold of his hands. "You good?"
"Better now." He squeezed me hands and stood up. "I'll let you rest." He said as he placed the bandages over his head with a wave of his wand.
"Can you send Bill in?" I asked, and George looked torn. "I know he feels guilty, he's been avoiding me just like you did. Please send him in." My voice soft. "Tell him if he's not in here within the hour, I will apparate right onto his wedding cake."
"You know you can't apparate inside the house anymore." George chuckled, then he turned dire. "Besides, you could risk bleeding again if you try that."
"I know, George. I'm just sending him a message. And if he still refuses, tell him I know enough hexes to send his way from the comfort of my bed."
"I'll tell him." He leaned over and kissed my cheek lightly.
GN
About twenty minutes later, when I was eating my breakfast Cedric had left for me, another knock came, and Bill walked in. He wasn't in his suit yet, just jeans and a faded weird sisters-shirt. He looked like a lost puppy as he stood at the end of my bed, looking at anything except me.
"You know I have a wedding to get ready for." He said to a spot on the wall behind me.
"Is that why you have been avoiding me the past few days?" I said clearly, an eyebrow shifted up. Bill's eyes flickered to me for a second before finding a spot on the bed.
"Yeah - well – been really busy."
"Fleur has visited me a couple of times and she's the bride." I pointed out. "Bill." I said softly which made him look up. "Come sit with me." I padded the spot next to me on the bed. Bill looked from me to the closed door and back. I've never seen him so unorderly before. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face before walking in. He sat down next to me and his gaze fixed on the knob of the dresser.
"A little blonde birdie told me you feel responsible." Bill didn't say anything but I could see his hands clench. I reached over and took one in mine. "Bill - listen to me. And my guess is that everyone already told you but it is not your fault. If anything, it was mine."
Bill's head snapped up at this, a frown on his face.
"Cedric already berated me for it." I took out the necklace from under my shirt, the charmed, protection necklace that saved Cedric's life. "I wasn't wearing it that night, because of the disguise. And if I had worn it... So, it's not your fault, it's mine."
"No." His grip on my hand tightened. "Don't you dare say it's your fault. You couldn't wear the necklace that night, just like you said. It wasn't your fault because we were ambushed, because someone betrayed us. It's not your fault a hex got through while you were trying to get us out alive." I smiled as I looked up to him. "What?" He looked at me like I was crazy.
"What you just said to me, all of it. It fits for you too, you know."
Bill looked at me like I've grown a second head, which I was capable of but wasn't doing it at the moment. "I'd promise I'd keep you safe."
"I think saving my life qualifies under that, Bill. Without you I wouldn't be here. Without you, Cedric would be a widow before he turned twenty, Bash would be without a sister. But thanks to you, I'm still here." I leaned against his shoulder, and he freed his hand from mine before he put them around my shoulder, pulling me close.
"I was just scared, I thought... I never saw you got hit."
"Me neither." I said quietly. "I felt a sting at some point but with the adrenaline... the pain flared up when I saw that everyone, most of them were safe." When I saw Cedric and George safe.
"If I find out who it was-" Bill grumbled and I let out a soft chuckle.
"Men." I grinned. "Cedric, Fred, Bash and Charlie, almost every male in this house said the same thing."
"Well - well, they better watch out then." Was the only thing Bill could say. I looked up at him before we both laughed. "I should get ready for the wedding. Are you okay?"
"I'm perfectly fine. I could use a breather from all the people checking in on me." I smiled softly as he stood up. "But you can send in Tonks in a while, we still have our competition to finish." Bill grinned at me before he walked out. Tonks had kept my mind occupied with the silliest things, and because we were both Metamorphmagus, we invited a game like rock, paper, scissors, but with animal faces. And I was on the winning end, Tonks was probably letting me win due to resent events. But I would put that straight and demand a real game.
I leaned back against the cushions and popped a blueberry in my mouth, enjoying the alone time for as long it would last. I could hear the others from the garden or from the kitchen. I heard the floorboards above me creak and dust trickled down from Fleur busying around upstairs.